I celebrated my 26thbirthday yesterday. This year I wasn’t worried about becoming older. I don’t stress that I’m closer to 30 than I am 20. This year I’m grateful to have seen my birthday at all.

In Life & Times #1 I spoke about being at a loss of what to do when I submitted but I didn’t really get a chance to plan out anything thanks to my ulcerative colitis. My 25thyear ended up being a shit show thanks to my health and the stress brought on from trying to finish my PhD. Now that I’m on the other side of it all I’m back to wondering what I want to do.

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Count yourself as blessed, your life is one that is full of love and laughter. I know that there were difficult times when you were not sure how to smile but you will come to understand that with good times also comes difficulty. It’s through that difficulty that life becomes all the more sweet.

You have never had trouble in making friends but in keeping them. As you grow older you will lose people from your life fast and hard but you need to understand that this is nothing personal. It is a natural part growing up. Your interests have started to change and there is less common ground to cover. In the long run, you will see that this is better than trying to maintain meaningless relationships with people. The loss of your friendship group makes you get involved with people who do not have your best interests at heart but you struggle to see that. Keep faith because you will and forgive yourself for not seeing it sooner.